The Miami Diaries Book 1

Chapter 6

T/W: Minor sexual content.

***

Lex

I'm tidying up my apartment. Ever since Steve took off, I'm at loose ends. I go into the bathroom, collecting the dirty towels from last night. I stand in the middle of the bathroom, lifting the towel that Steve used, to my nose and catch a hint of Steve's cologne on it.

I close my eyes breath it in for a second. When I open my eyes, a few tears spill down my cheeks. It's really weird, but Steve leaving makes me feel like I'm losing...Speed all over again.

I sniffle, balling the towel in my fists hurrying out of the bathroom, going straight to my laundry room, dumping the whole pile into the washer. There's a knock on my door and I assume that it's Mom or Uncle Grant.

I check first. It's...Horatio. I groan silently. He's about the last person I want to see. I slowly unlock the door, opening it a crack.

"Hi, Lex. Can I come in?"

"Now really isn't a good time," I say shortly.

"This will only take a moment," Horatio says. I notice he's holding a small, white envelope in his hands. He holds it out to me. I reluctantly accept it. When I look at it, I see..Speed's handwriting on the outside. It simply says: Lex.

"I found this when I was cleaning out Speed's locker," Horatio explains. I stare at the envelope.

Speed wrote this to me.

"Thanks," I say as I start to close the door.

"How are you holding up?" Horatio asks.

"As well as I can," I reply and quickly close the door. I lean against it. I decide not to read whatever this is right now. Instead, I go put it in my night stand drawer until I feel strong enough.

***

Steve

"Hey, man. How are you doing?" I just got home and my cell went off. A part of me was hoping it was...Lex. It wasn't. It was my best friend, Dave Torres.

"Just got back home," I reply. "It was rough but I survived."

I toss my bag on the floor, plop down on the couch and lean down to slip my shoes off.

"If you need anything," Dave says. "You only have to ask."

"I know. Thanks, man."

"You need any company?" Dave asks. "'Cause I can be there in ten."

"I'm good," I reply, although I wouldn't have minded Lex's company right now.

"Your parents must still be in shock, huh?" Dave comments.

"Understatement of the century," I say.

What's Lex doing now? Is she thinking about..me? I ache to touch her again. That image of her sitting up in her bed, sobbing, rushes into my mind. How quickly she moved into my embrace. How soft she felt.

"Dude? You still there?" Dave's voice snaps me back to the present.

"Yeah. I'm gonna go now. I'm wiped."

"I understand. Catch ya later, man."

"Yup. Later." I flip my phone shut, tossing it on the couch cushion beside me. If I'm gonna be going back to Miami, I better get started.

***

Lex

Days pass and I wouldn't exactly say things are much easier, but I'm slowly moving on. I'd even returned to doing some photography work. Probably some of the worst times when I miss Speed is at night.